"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings."--- Lewis Carroll

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Yet Another Taxpayer-funded Incentive For Illegal Aliens?

Usually, I think of radio personality Rush Limbaugh as little more than a rabid Bushbot cheerleader for the Administration, but I happened to be listening to his program today (I usually don't) when I heard him say this: (from the transcript)

Listen closely. First here is an editorial from yesterday's Washington Times. "Unsatisfied with thwarting a Republican effort to authorize $3 billion for a border fence, congressional Democrats are trying to enhance the incentive for illegal aliens to enter the United States by removing the citizenship requirement from the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)."

We've talked about their attempts to update and revise this program. It comes up for renewal. This is the program that uses existing tobacco taxes to pay for health care for kids. Health insurance for kids, nine million of them or something, and they want to expand the number of people who are eligible. One of the things they've done here, this is the cigar tax at ten bucks a stick, this is also where they categorize a child as anybody 25 years of age or under. So a 24-year-old father with a 22-year-old mother and maybe two babies or one, can qualify for health care.

So this is the sneaky way that the left is attempting to get universal health care without taking it in one big bite. They do it in a stealth fashion, and they put it under the guise, (sniveling voice) "It's for the little children. We cannot deny the children health care. There's so many of them without insurance." So it's a sneaky little thing, and now to expand it even further; remember this is about the redistribution of wealth. This is about controlling people. This is about eliminating or putting as many obstacles in the way to acquiring wealth, by the way, on the part of wage earners as possible.

Now, a little history here. "The Republican Congress in 1996 passed legislation blocking people who are in the country illegally from claiming benefits from the federal government, and when SCHIP was created in 1997, states were required to verify citizenship.

But Democrats want to take that sensible requirement for Medicaid and SCHIP and leave it to the discretion of each state. This reflects the Democrats' eagerness to offer free services to illegals at taxpayer expense," and this is going to act as a magnet for more illegals to come. So you've got two things going on here in one bill. You have the stealth mass expansion of a children's health care program, and you have the Democrats trying to get as many illegals in here as possible and get them on a taxpayer plan, your dollars, that would pay their health insurance, even though it's against the law now. The Democrats are livid that the Republicans succeeded in this $3 billion authorization for a border fence, and this is how they're asking for reciprocity.

Now, from the Portland Oregonian: "Taking health care to migrants in the field -- They straggle in, sweaty and tired, from a day of picking blueberries. Their workday is ending, but for a group of college students, the day is beginning. It's late afternoon, and the sun is still hot when seasonal workers and students converge at Campo Blanco, a migrant camp in Washington County. The students are here to take part in a project to better know and serve the health needs of migrant workers from Mexico. Five students from Portland State University's Graduate School of Social Work and five from a university in Puebla, Mexico, are participating in the Health Worker Outreach Project, organized by Ted Donlan, an assistant PSU professor and project co-director."

Here's basically what happens. Portland State University, which is supported through tax dollars, taking part in a little study. Students from the Graduate School of Social Work are participating in the health worker project. The goal of the project is to find out about migrant workers -- also known as illegal aliens -- find out about their health habits. So after the illegals finish picking the blueberries, these skulls full of mush from the Graduate School of Social Work flock to their migrant camp to interview them. The students collect information about the illegal aliens' medical history, their pains, the last time they saw a doctor. When they finish collecting their data, they create a little report.

"The information is intended to shape health programs tailored to the needs of seasonal workers," illegal immigrants is the proper term. Okay. As you people know, I can read the stitches on a fast ball. This information is intended to pave the way for taking money from people in this country legally and then using it to provide social and medical services to illegal immigrants who violate our laws every day, that they remain in this country. Information gathered by our tax dollars.

So here you have two stories, the Democrats trying to expand the SCHIP program, and basically under their plan, in addition to defining a child as anybody 25 years of age and under, you would qualify for the children's insurance health program even if you have a family of four income of $82,000 a year.

So we're going to get an expansion of this program, we're going to include illegal aliens in it, is what the Democrats want to do, and in Portland State, they're out there surveying illegal aliens after a tough day in the field, asking them about their medical condition. Of course we know what they're going to say, "Well, I haven't seen a doctor in five years. I've got pains here, and I'm terribly abused by my employer," blah blah blah blah. They're going to write a report saying these people need health care.

So two bills, one in Portland, one in the United States Congress, both designed to separate you and your money in order to pay health benefits to illegal immigrants and children up to the age of 25.

Even though Limbaugh uses quite a bit of hyperbole mixed with half-truths, (the proposed so-called "$10.00 per stick cigar tax," for example) I have to wonder if he might be on to something in this instance.

If we as a nation the federal government decides to extend yet another tax-payer-funded benefit to illegal immigrants, will it not be an incentive for even more people to move to this country illegally and strain our already strained public institutions such as schools and hospitals?

I'm certainly not for hurting kids, (we support SCHIP, but for citizens and legal residents) and I don't like seeing anyone, young or old, suffer from illness or lack of health care. But when it comes to illegal immigration, at what point are we, as a people, going to say enough is enough and stop shovelling out public money giving foreigners government-funded incentives to illegally immigrate to this country?

Shut the gates already! Turn-off the spigot!

Let's secure our border and enforce the laws that are already on the books.

As for blaming Democrats for ongoing tidal wave of illegal immigration, Limbaugh and his ditto heads supporters would do well to remember that the Republican Party (the so-called "law and order" party) controlled both houses of Congress and the Presidency for five years.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 130th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by Dr. Homeslice) are due. Please email them to: drhomeslice(at)hotmail(dot)com. (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Virginia's Clown Princes: Governor Tim Kaine & Co.

Encouraged by their governor, Virginia has begun collecting what must surely be some of the most steep fines for speeding in the history of American motoring:

Earlier this month, Virginia began imposing huge new fines — some as high as $2,500 — for residents caught driving 20 miles above the speed limit or engaging in other reckless driving.

The fines were to raise money for road projects, but they have also raised Cain, with more than 100,000 people having signed a petition calling for their repeal.

All 140 members of Virginia’s legislature are up for re-election in the fall, and some say they have been deluged with angry calls and e-mail from constituents threatening to vote them out of office if they do not ask Gov. Tim Kaine to call a special session of the legislature to reconsider the law.

“You have no idea how angry people are,” said Delegate Robert G. Marshall, Republican of Prince William County, who did not vote for the bill that included the new fines and is leading the call for a special session.

“Criminal and civil penalties shouldn’t be created for raising money,” Mr. Marshall said, adding that constituents had stopped him on the street and even in the post office and called his office to voice frustration with the new fines. “You don’t want to turn our police into gun-toting tax collectors. They’re supposed to be officers of the peace, nothing else.”

Rather than raise money for road projects, he said, the state should stop diverting money allocated for such projects to other uses.

If two-thirds of the House of Delegates and the Senate petition for a special session, Mr. Kaine is obligated to call one, Mr. Marshall said, adding that he was not sure how many legislators would be willing to support such a request. Republicans control both houses.

The $65 million expected to be raised annually from the higher fines was intended as a partial substitute for a statewide tax increase, which Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, supported but the House opposed. Mr. Kaine then backed the new fines and has resisted the effort to revisit the issue.

“We’ve heard the public’s concerns, and we take that seriously,” said the governor’s press secretary, Kevin Hall. “The legislature can revisit these issues when they reconvene in January.”

Under the law, which took effect July 1, the new civil penalty for driving 20 miles an hour or more over the speed limit, a violation defined by the state as reckless driving, will be $1,050. First-time drunken drivers will face a civil penalty of $2,250. In both cases, judges can also continue to impose fines of up to $2,500, plus court costs.

“The fines are ridiculously high, and they don’t improve safety,” said Bryan Ault, a 28-year-old software technician who lives in Alexandria and who started an online petition, petitiononline.com/va3202, that calls for the repeal of the fines. The petition, which Mr. Ault started July 6, had more than 110,000 signatures as of Wednesday.

Mr. Ault said legislators could raise the gasoline tax, which would affect everyone more equitably, or they could levy smaller penalties.

Delegate David B. Albo, Republican of Fairfax County, a main proponent of the high fines, said that a one-cent increase in the gasoline tax would generate about $50 million a year, but that replacing the fines with a higher gasoline tax would undermine the transportation financing bill that was passed.

“It took two years to get all the different groups, from Realtors, to developers, to citizens groups, on board,” Mr. Albo said. “If you take away one of the fees from one group, every other group is going to start saying they want the entire transportation bill reconsidered.”

Clay Morad, a driver in Arlington who signed the petition, said: “There are other ways to get these road projects done. I’d be more than willing to pay an extra dollar per year in taxes to avoid having to worry about getting a $2,500 fine for going above the speed limit.”

While describing the fines as draconian, other drivers admitted they were having a positive effect. “I have mixed emotions about the issue,” said Stephanie Haley, standing alongside her family’s silver Volvo station wagon in Arlington.

“This is going to hit the poor the worst because they will be least able to handle such a huge fine,” Ms. Haley said. “Someone living paycheck to paycheck is going to be wiped out by a small mistake.”

Just two weeks before the new fines took effect, she said, she got a $250 ticket for traveling 86 m.p.h. in a 65 m.p.h. zone on Interstate 95.

“I have to admit it,” Ms. Haley said, “that getting the ticket and realizing the size of these new fines has made me more aware, and I’m driving more carefully now.”

Now I have little sympathy, really, for those who choose to break the speed limits on our nation's highways.

Those are the same highways that I and my family share with the speeders.

Excessive speed is very often the chief cause of fatal crashes.

Therefore, when some stupid idiot individual chooses to barrel down the highway at a high rate of speed, not only is he or she risking his or her own life, the speeder is alsocallously disregarding risking the lives of me and mine.

And that concerns me greatly.

So it should come as no surprise when I say that I like the idea of imposing severe fines for speeders.

But what I don't like is the fact that the plan pushed through the state legislature by Virginia's governor only punishes fellow Virginians with those high speeding tickets.

Exempted entirely from the high fines are those out-of-state drivers (many of which are, presumably, driving those 16-wheeled semi tractor-trailers who all-but-break the sound barrier as they go down the highway risking life-and-limb) who, under the law, (and in spite of the Constitution) receive preferential treatment over Virginia's own citizens.

And it's for that reason that I find Governor Kaine's plan to be so laughable strange.

But what would be even morelaughable strange would be if the people of Virginia continue to accept this unequal treatment and don't send these clowns back to the circus from which they came at the next election.

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 129th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by Mike over at Education in Texas) are due. Please email them to: mikea3_98[at]yahoo[dot]com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 11:00 PM (Eastern) 8:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted by us here at the 'Wonks, by following this link.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Carnival Of Education: Week 128

Here's the very latest roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves.

Folks interested in hosting an edition of the C.O.E. should please let us know via this email address: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net.Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about last week's midway, which was hosted here at 'The Wonks. Visit the C.O.E.'s archives here and see our latest entries there.

Next Week's Carnival will be hosted by Mike over at Education In Texas. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: mikea3_98[at]yahoo[dot]com, or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 11:00 PM (Eastern) 8:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, July 24, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin!

EduPolicy:

The strange case of Georgia teen Genarlow Wilson (back story here) is the subject of this entry by the Elementary History Teacher who asks, "Should young men be prosecuted for a "Bourbon, Buds, and Booty Bash" when all parties consent and should the school systems shoulder the burden of this type of behavior?"

What place, if any, should a student's race play in the process that schools use to admit students? After citing a quote by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, The Colossus of Rhodeyshows us that the British have developed some policies that will likely be divisive and may prove disastrous, especially if implemented on this side of the Atlantic.

Greg Farr's Effective Principals, Rebels With a Cause, provided the motivation for a thought-provoking entry by Dr. Jan's Blog. Here's a small sample:

My current school has gone from five consecutive years on the state's low performing list to number one in the state in five of six measured educational indicators; however, I am now beginning to believe maybe what we are teaching (and measuring) is not relevant, rigorous, or replicable beyond our small scope.

In education, we have a tendency to measure not what we want to (need to) measure but what we can measure... it's a lot like measuring some one's height because you can't measure their weight. If a person's weight is proportionate to their height then measuring their height might be a prediction of their weight; but if not, then what's the point of measuring their height?

Teacher Tim Frederick introduces us to a new blog sponsored by the New York State English Council's Standing Committee on Teacher Inquiry ... The Teacher Research Blog. In a recent post, Tim takes a look at scientifically-based research.

Learning takes place both in and out of the traditional classroom. Think of the lessons that were learned when a 15-year-old boy in Malawi built a wind-powered electrical generator. (Be sure to follow the links.)

Joel has written yet another installment of his series, "The Five Habits of Highly Effective Teachers." Today's topic: Personal Procedures.

Learning the Gravy Waygets us to the "meat" of the matter when they remind us that students get stuck trying to remember content without a firm understanding of the story that brought us there. Remembering a subject's past can go a long way in learning.

When she was in college, Mamacita of Scheiss Weekly was tasked with pinning-down and vivisect a live frog and then time how long it would take for said frog to die. Discover what she did with her Prince Charming....

Eduardo has finished-up his teaching at Notre Dame and lets us take a peek at some of the candid responses that his students gave in answer to this question: “Eduardo, your life would be better if ___________ .”

From our "Kids Say the Darnedest things Department," we have this submission which finds a group of students asking the classroom question that many adults are afraid to ask: we know what the problem is, now why isn't anyone doing anything about it?"

Inside This Teaching Life:

NYC Educatorhas an entry that will resonate with many: Teachers who must continue to serve in bad working environments out of fear of losing their health insurance.

Even though there are several weeks of summer vacation remaining, Missprofe can't help but think of the "'S' Word" when she passes by her school's campus.

In his review of Mary Hershey’s The One Where the Kid Nearly Jumps to His Death and Lands in California, edublogger The Précis asks why do authors have to use that kind of language in a kids' book?

Ryan of I Thought a Thinkshares with us how being a teacher has helped him teach his own special needs child.

Private music teacher Mike Estep is in search of an EduJob and hopes that The Law of Attraction will help him land that position.

Flights of Fancy:

What would happen if the thrust for EduReform was to come to Harry Potter's Hogwarts? Read and find out!

EduTesting and EduTechnology:

EduBlogger and Georgia educator "30+Teacher" has taken notice of how her state has increased the percentage of students who are meeting proficiency standards: they've "dumbed-down" the tests!

They are also debating the role of tests up in Washington State and The Washington Teachersoffer their take on the increasing use of one of that state's assessments, The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, or DIBELS for short.

Florida teacher Jason H. Bowman has some thoughts on the effective use of the Internet as a teaching tool through the use of a "classroom companion website."

Psychologist Dr. Deb links to and comments upon, an American Psychological Association paper that posits girls are more likely than boys to develop anxiety and depression as a result of extensive conversations with friends about their problems.

Curricular Resources:

The homeschoolers over at Trivium Pursuit posted a reader's question about obtaining information about the phonetic teaching of Spanish and got some help from commenters.

Homeschooling:

Why do parents choose to homeschool their children? One family gives us their reasons and makes us wonder about what ours would be if we chose to teach our 15-year-old daughter (the TeenWonk) here at home.

International Perspectives:

Israeli teacher "Muse" attended a convention of fellow educators who teach English as a second language and shares some of her experiences as well as a rant. (It seems as though those of us on this side of the Atlantic may have some things in common with our Israeli colleagues...)

Japanese EduBlogger Steven Nishida makes his Carnival debut with this comparison of the English as a second language programs in Japan and the Philippines.

Behavior management, both in the classroom and campus wide, is the subject of this entry from the British-based EduBlog Scenes From the Battleground.

Inside the Blogs:

Next week's Carnival host, Mike in Texas, has received some news concerning an application for a substantial grant...

I.B. a Math Teacher of 3σ → Left describes how even the vaunted Wall Street Journal (now owned by Rupert Murdoch of Fox News Channel fame) can manipulate data in order to make their point. (Or mislead to their point, depending on one's point-of-view...)

We now have the C.O.E.'s very first YouTube submission: It's a video by Patrick L, Karl F. and Scott M. The video speaks to the growing importance of adequately educating and preparing young people to thrive in the world today and hopes to spark discussion among educators.

And finally: This, like nearly all of ourjourneys around the EduSphere, has been both enjoyable and informative. We continue to thank all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who give of their time to help spread the word, and the readers who continue to make it A Free Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 128th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by us here at at The 'Wonks) are due. Please email them to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted by us here at the 'Wonks, by following this link.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

Monday, July 16, 2007

Today's Non Sequitorial Comment

Why on Earth do the television networks feel that they have to run those Viagra and Cialis (Cialis has the ones with those stupid insipid couples who always end-up in those ubiquitous out-of-doors bathtubs.) commercials when they know that children will be watching?

I really don't want to explain the meaning of the term "erectile dysfunction" to my 10-year-old niece...

Another One That Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

In yet another example of our broken legal system, we have the case of the Florida man who is being forced to financially support another man's child:

Francisco Rodriguez owes more than $10,000 in back child support payments in a paternity case involving a 15-year-old girl who, according to DNA results and the girl's mother, is not his daughter.

Rodriguez, who is married with two daughters and a son from his wife's previous marriage, is fighting for leniency. "It's not right. I'm not the father, " he said at a recent court hearing.

He says he knew nothing about the other girl until paperwork showed up about four years ago saying he was the father.

He now has DNA results that show the 15-year-old girl wasn't fathered by him. He even has an affidavit from the girl's mother -- a former girlfriend from 1990 -- saying he's "not the father" and asking that Rodriguez no longer be required to pay child support.

Yet the state of Florida is continuing to push him to pay $305 a month to support the girl, as well as the more than $10,000 already owed. He spent a night in jail because of his delinquent payments.

Why is he in such a bind?

He missed the deadline to legally contest paternity. That's because, he says, the paperwork didn't reach him until after the deadline had passed.

Rodriguez's odyssey began in 1990, when he says at age 16 he had a four- to five-month relationship with a woman CNN is not identifying. He says when the relationship ended, he did not hear from her again until child support papers arrived at his home in 2003.

"My wife and I both had a confused look, and we're wondering, 'Where is the DNA test?' " he says.

But it was long past Florida's deadline to contest paternity. A court had already named him the father three years before when he did not respond to notices to appear, notices he says he never received because he had moved a lot.

He was now on the hook for monthly child support, as well as $10,623 in back child support.

He eventually paid for DNA testing. The test showed he was not the father.

A judge has now ordered a court-sanctioned DNA test for Rodriguez and the 15-year-old girl. Rodriguez has taken that test; the girl and her mother did not show up for their appointment to submit to DNA testing and it's unclear if the girl has complied.

CNN has repeatedly tried to contact the mother, but has been unable to reach her.

Rodriguez and his family continue to wait for answers.

"It's hard when your daughter needs sneakers and you have to pay $305 or your husband goes to jail," said Rodriguez's wife, Michele. "It's just unfair."

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The Carnival Of Education: Week 127

Here's the very latest roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves.

Folks interested in hosting an edition of the C.O.E. should please let us know via this email address: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net.Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about last week's midway, which was hosted by NYC Educator. Visit the C.O.E.'s archives here and see our latest entries there.

Next Week's Carnival will be hosted by us here at 'The Wonks. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net, or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, July 17, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin!

EduPolicy:

In many instances, the term "zero tolerance" has come to be synonymous with "zero brain function." Rhymes With Right further reinforces that idea with the strange case of the sixth grader who professed her affection for a boy on a gymnasium wall, got caught, and was then forced to change schools.

Citing a recent case in the Los Angles Unified School District, the need for schools to be ever-vigilent against all types of sexual harassement is the subject of this contribution by HorseSense and Nonsense.

In an effort to battle the ever-increasing levels of childhood obesity, the federal government has spent some $1 billion of the taxpayers' money on nutrition education. Joanne Jacobshas the skinny on what we're getting for our money.

Over at What It's Like on the Inside, the Science Goddess correctly (in our opinion) shows the disconnect between EduResearch and EduPractice and makes a proposal for what would be a most interesting doctoral dissertation.

What's in the name that we give to each of our public school campuses? Matt Johnston alerts us to the fact that even school names are now being subjected to the Diktates of Politikal Korrectness.

My goodness. Ms. Cornelius of A Shrewdness of Apeshas the shocking news that in some upstate New York school systems they're actually comparing test scores... over time! (What's old is now new yet again...)

Given the current military situation is Iraq, what should public school teachers say when their students ask them about the military as a career? Respectfully submitted for your consideration is our post on how I will now answer my students who ask my opinion on serving in our armed forces.

Teaching and Learning:

New EduBlogger J. Bowman of 180 Days of English makes his Carnival of Education debut with this piece about on where accountability meets sustained silent pretending reading.

Among educators, the teaching of advanced learners in the classroom is nearly always a special concern. Kim's Play Placehas some advice for the parents of advanced kindergartners.

One shouldn't have to say this, but it needed to be said and Nucleus Learninghas said it: Before beginning a lesson which involves the use of manipulatives, explain the task first!

HuffEnglishshows us that a tech-saavy school administrator is indeed a "pearl beyond price" when it comes to supporting teachers' efforts to incorporate edutechnology into their classrooms!

School Governance:

Many of us EduBloggers are quick to criticize school administrators, but retired teacher Lorne is sounding a constructive note with some heartfelt advice for those individuals who bear the title "school principal."

Now here's a concept that we like: Leader Talk is a group blog written by school leaders for school leaders. In this week's C.O.E. entry, they address The Complaint Factor.

I guess when it rains teachers, it must pour school administrators... Meanwhile, NYC Educator has the tale of the summer school administratrix who learned a most humbling lesson about who really matters when it comes to summer school success.

Here's a Boston school principal who has written some highly readable thoughts on the importance of doing what can be done in order to make school more like a nurturing home away from home and less like an unfeeling institution.

Inside This Teaching Life:

What would you do if you worked for a principal who had no principles? See what one new teacher did when confronted with this very vexing situation...

Like many teachers, I'm forced to financially support not just one but several teachers unions. Darren of Right on the Left Coastsounds the clarion call for teachers' freedom of choice when it comes to being forced to pay for groups who support policies and political candidates with which they disagree.

Are school teachers more talkative than members of other professions? You make the call!

Would you believe a high school math teacher invited his students to make college-type end-of-the-year course evaluations? Believe it!

Texas teacher J. Wagner has written the answers to some of the questions that just might save your career. (Be sure to follow the links.)

California Teacher Guy was recently downsized from his job but has developed an outlook that would be beneficial for any teacher to read, regardless of his or her job situation.

Lesson Ideas:

The recent buzz generated over the selection of the "new" Seven Wonders of the World is the inspiration for this idea for student projects that's suitable for the start of the next school year. Brought to you by History is Elementary.

Internationally EduViewpoints:

Our transatlantic cousins over at the British-based edublog Scenes from the Battleground urge us to Teach First, Repent at Leisure. (Here on this side of the pond, such a maneuver could be hazardous to one's EduCareer...)

The Secret Lives Of Teachers:

What should be our core values as Americans? On a Fourth of July in the not-too-distant past, Mamacita of Scheiss Weeklyshared with us a variety of ideas that we found ourselves in agreement with.

As any public school educator will tell you, 'tis the season of professional development and I.B. a Math teacher is speculating on what will be that most dreaded of all P.D. activities, "the ice breaker."

Parent and Student Survival Guide:

Some out there in EduLand are saying that Mr. Rogers (of all people) is largely responsible for the fact that so many of our children have, to put it politely, "issues." The "30 Plus Teacher" over at Best Practices in Educationweighs in on the whole self-esteem controversy from a very personal point of view.

I'm actually glad that those parents who do choose to home school their children don't have to write this type of letter to their county superintendent of public instruction.

Los Angeles' Locke High is one of the most troubled high schools that part of southern California. Friends of Davebrings us the latest dispatch from the front in the continuing struggle to reform this under performing school.

And finally: This, like nearly all of ourjourneys around the EduSphere, has been both enjoyable and informative. We continue to thank all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who give of their time to help spread the word, and the readers who continue to make it A Free Exchange of Thoughts and Ideas.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Army Recruitment And The Influencers

The number of young people willing to serve in our Army in its time of highest need is on the decline, reports the Washington Post:

The U.S. Army fell short of its active-duty recruiting goal for June by about 15 percent, defense officials said yesterday. It is the second consecutive month the service's enlistment effort has faltered amid the American public's growing discontent over the war in Iraq.

Army officials confirmed yesterday that the service missed its June target -- the first time its recruiters have missed their monthly mark twice in a row since they were hit hard in 2005 -- but declined to discuss specific numbers before a scheduled release today. Three defense officials said the Army fell short by about 1,400 soldiers, well shy of its goal of 8,400 for June.

Because recruiters consistently exceeded their targets throughout the first half of fiscal 2007, the Army still remains above its year-to-date goal by about 700 recruits.

July, August and September are traditionally the best months for military recruiters, and this year the Army hopes to take in more than a third of its expected 80,000 new recruits in that period. According to Army recruiting statistics, the service aims for 28,850 new soldiers between now and the end of the fiscal year in September -- an average of more than 9,600 each month.

"To date, we're still ahead for the year," said Col. Dan Baggio, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon. "Obviously, we're concerned, but we're not panicking. We are ahead for the year, and we're just going to have to work hard to make our numbers."

The Army has met its recruiting numbers in the past two years by mobilizing a larger force of recruiters, offering higher incentives to join and broadening its potential pool by offering waivers -- for physical conditions and violating the law -- to people who normally would not qualify.

Mirroring concerns in 2005, when the Army fell thousands short of its monthly goals during much of the year, defense officials said that a good economy and lack of encouragement for military service from parents, coaches and other "influencers" have caused the recruiting slump. The Iraq war's sharp decline in popularity has also made recruiting far more difficult, as many recruits almost certainly will deploy to the battlefield.

"If you don't think that's affecting the influencers, then you have your head under a rock," said one Pentagon official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the June numbers have not yet been released.

Over the years, I've had a number of both middle school students and former students (who would drop by) solicit my opinion as to whether or not I thought that serving in our military would be a good career move for them.

Having served in the ranks myself, I've always answered that our country's military offered excellent training, travel, and the opportunitiy to be promoted based on one's hard work, self-improvement, and dedication to the mission.

In short, I would answer, "yes!" Serving in our military would be a good career choice.

A number of my former students who actually did enlist have visited me over the years and spoken to me about their experiences. For the most part, those experiences were positive.

Several have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of my former students was killed in the first week of the Iraq War.

That was over four years ago.

With the mission in Iraq becoming ever more muddled and still with no end in sight, (and seemingly no plan for Victory in place) it's become clear that the maiming and killing of (mostly) young Americans will continue for the foreseeable future.

The Bush Administration is unwilling to concede defeat and order the withdrawal retreat of our forces from Iraq.

The Administration is also unwilling to raise the large number of troops needed (and untie our military's hands) in order to allow them to defeat the enemy's forces in the field as well as utterly destroy his will to fight.

Still.... as one of my students' "influencers," I cannot find it within myself to actively discourage young people from serving in our country's armed forces.

To do so would undermine our War Effort, and I simply cannot do that.

But to advise students to enlist in order to go into battle and possibly be injured or killed when our own government doesn't seem to know what it wants to do over there would be disingenuous on my part.

So... for the time being, I'm sad to say that I'll no longer be able to say, "yes!" without hesitation when asked by students about serving in our military.

From this point forward, I'll have to say, "I don't know. Please talk it over with your parents."

Carnival Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 127th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by us here at at The 'Wonks) are due. Please email them to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) 6:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

This I Believe

As this is Independence Day, I've been thinking about some of those things in which I believe as an American Conservative:

I believe that when our nation goes to war, it should do so after a Congressional Declaration of War and not after some nebulous "resolution" which authorizes the President to employ our armed forces at his discretion.

I believe that when our nation is at war, the people should be mobilized in order to maximize their support of the war effort and our military should be permitted to wage war in such a way as to utterly defeat the enemy's forces and completely destroy his will to fight.

English should be made our country's official language.

I believe in free and fair elections in which the ballots are written in English and all votes are honestly tabulated and only those citizens who are capable of presenting sufficient identification documents are permitted to vote.

As Thomas Jefferson once famously said, "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms," I believe in the Constitutional Right of peaceful and law-abiding citizens to freely keep and bear the firearms of their choice.

As welfare for individuals is fundamentally counterproductive, so too are subsidies and special tax-breaks for certain politically well-connected special interests.

I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman.

No federal, state, or local court has the right to make law, but to see that laws are enforced fairly, and that all persons receive their Constitutional right to Due Process; legislation is the Sacred Responsibility of the People's duly-elected representatives.

The United States Supreme Court should base their opinions on the original intent of the Founding Fathers and that the Court's habit of issuing judgements based upon its self-proclaimed doctrine of "evolving standards" is little more than a subterfuge to increase this appointed-for-life body's powers beyond those given it by the Constitution.

If freedom is the absence of restrictions imposed by others, I think that the government should stay out of my home, off my telephone line, and away from my personal belongings unless it has secured the warrant that the Constitution requires.

I believe that crime should not pay and that lawbreakers should not financially profit from their law-breaking.

I also believe that stupidity should not be made to pay in the form of lawsuits that award the stupid for their stupid behavior. (Such as the notorious case of Stella Liebeck, who was the woman that spilled hot coffee in her lap and then sued McDonald's for selling it to her.)

Those who have been duly convicted of breaking our laws should serve the punishments that have been legally given them. However, their rights to a fair appeal of their conviction must be preserved.

Contrary to recent practice, our elected and appointed government officials should be held to a higher legal and ethical standard that that of private citizens. When officials they do choose to break the law, they should be punished accordingly.

Governors and presidents should only pardon those individuals whose guilt is in doubt or have been victimized by demonstrably corrupt or inept judicial proceedings.

The U.S. Constitution says nothing about a woman's so-called "right" to an abortion.

I believe those who have broken our laws in order to immigrate to this country should be punished with jail time and then deported as soon as practicable. Those who have sheltered illegal immigrants or given them employment are guilty of a criminal act, punishable at law. When employers are held accountable for their actions, many illegal immigrants will leave of their own volition.

A child has a right to a free and appropriate public education, but no child has the right to disrupt, disturb, or deny any other child's right to a free and appropriate public education.

Our country should engage in fair and open trade with those countries that also permit our business interests to compete on a level playing field.

The Constitution is the fundamental law of the land. It is not written in stone, but is a living document that we should not be afraid to amend from time-to-time.

As Americans, we should never forget that all of us owe a debt of gratitude to those persons, living or dead, who have sacrificed so much to ensure that we continue to enjoy the freedoms that so many now take for granted.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

A Passing Thought On Today's MSM

CNN may have removed education-related stories from their "newly revamped" front page, but at least we can now learn such vital information as the financial penalty that must be paid when one man steals another man's wife.Such is the media environment in which we live and blog...

C.O.E. Entries Are Due!

Entries for the 126th edition of The Carnival Of Education (hosted this week by NYC Educator) are due. Please email them to: nyceducator [at] gmail [dot] com . (Or, easier yet, use this handy submission form.) Submissions should be received no later than 6:00 PM (Eastern) 3:00 PM (Pacific) today. Contributions should include your site's name, the title of the post, and the post's URL if possible.

Visit last week's midway, hosted over at Education in Texas, right here.

Monday, July 02, 2007

The Watcher's Council Has Spoken!

Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest among posts from the Conservative side of the 'Sphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 writers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watchers Council."

Voices Of The EduSphere:

The Watcher's Council

Voices Of The Larger Sphere:

email: edwonk [at] educationwonks.org

Command Post Contributer

Bear Flag League

Contributors

The Registry Of Bad Administrators, The Teachers Behaving Badly Department, The Leave Those Kids Alone Department, The Political Correctism Run Amok Files, and Our Didn't Pay Attention In Class Files, are copyrighted features of The Education Wonks, all rights reserved.